Perception features a unique narrative thread, though it isn’t ground-breaking. Claustrophobic at times, Perception is at once elegant and creepy, but the title’s own core mechanic defangs any deeper sense of dread or terror it might have achieved. Perception sits comfortably in a casual gray area in terms of puzzles and story, but it offers up some solid voice work and unique, ethereal visuals. Horror fans seeking something novel, though not panic inducing, may find it worth a look.

The smoothness of play and the multitude of fighters from which to choose provide a near excellent time. But, unless a friend’s available for a local versus match, or you’re willing to play online, the initial excitement diminishes after the fourth- or fifth-dozenth round — though this not atypical for the genre. Regardless, fighter-gamers amongst us will walk away satisfied from The King of Fighters XIV.

Despite the issues, Rezrog is an engaging experience if you stray away from problematic classes and can avoid a glitch mid-run until the bugs are worked out — but, the frequency that a glitch occurs makes the title difficult to enjoy. An RPG that shows promise, once fixed.

Not all efforts in nostalgia end in success, but with Nex Machina, Housemarque has crafted a fast and fun twin-stick shooter with crisp visuals and challenging gameplay. Flawed only by a problematic mouse adaptation, Nex Machina is a solid execution of a gaming genre staple that promises long nights with guns blazing (instead of sleep).

Subject A-119 makes a strong showing with a variety of abilities, but the puzzles, through mechanical and logical limitations, quickly fatigue the player. Puzzle addicts might be tempted to explore this title but, overall, Subject A-119 mechanics are more confusing than the actual puzzles, ultimately leaving players underwhelmed.

Cladun Returns: This is Sengoku! achieves what it sets out to be with an apparent abundance of effort on the part of the developers. However, Cladun is not for everyone, and probably not even for most people. It’s intensely focused on customization, attention to detail, and a formidable obsession with stats. In the process, it sacrifices story and the option for casual gameplay; those not familiar with heavy RPG play, might want to think twice before plunging into Cladun.

With sparse environments that burst into color as the action unfolds, solid level design, and a low hand-holding, high satisfaction difficulty curve, Gorescript is already a title worth picking up, but with the fast-paced, visceral combat of its early nineties inspirations and the tight, responsive controls of a modern engine, this release becomes the rare homage of spirit over form that understands what made the arcade FPS of yesteryear great, and adds only the modern amenities that make it better. Definitely worth a try.

After nearly three decades since the original release comes Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, a worthy remake. Developer Lizardcube created an engaging universe, partly thanks to beautifully hand-drawn graphics and a fleshed out storyline. If you’re a fan of the timeless classics, this one is a worthy addition to your library: Wonder Boy stays true to its predecessor but successfully takes the title into the modern era of indie gaming.

Vanquish delivers on action and unique gameplay. Although it’s missions can feel repetitive, it remains exciting due to it’s easy-to-master movement system and it’s addictively fun slow-motion gunfights. Vanquish is a welcome distraction from today’s multiplayer- focused entries in the genre.

Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs wins time and again with unexpected surprises, character development, and fresh plot. With a sharp, sarcastic tone like Shrek, and a generally disinterested atmosphere like One Punch Man, Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs is a trove of snark, swears, and mild innuendo. An ending that surely comes too soon leaves you hoping for a potential sequel to meet, once more, Kay and his merry band of flawed friends.

Black Desert Online comes to the table with an intricate character sculpting tool, gorgeous graphical presentation, and a nuanced, exciting combat system overlying a less immediately apparent, but very unique, sandbox-style resource management simulation. Those looking for a rich narrative, complex or groundbreaking PvE questing, or highly unique monster design may be disappointed, but those seeking a mechanically rich, visually striking MMO will find themselves at home.

What The Long Journey Home lacks in originality in its gameplay, it makes up for with realism in its characters and extensive narrative. It draws the player into a harsh, unforgiving universe that is as strange as it is beautiful. Wit, skill, and determination are needed to survive, but even with these, success is not guaranteed. Gamers who enjoy a challenge and the thrill of the unknown will get the most out of The Long Journey Home.

TEKKEN 7 is well thought-out and produced — to the level of awe. It punches the stereotype of simplistic arcade fighters right in the face, and establishes itself as the gold standard that will be difficult to unseat for quite a while.

Multiple endings and a cool feature for statistics translate into hours of entertainment. With beautiful graphics, an intense, fluid soundtrack, and relatively straightforward gameplay, Conarium is a different horror title.

In a market controlled by the Call of Duty, Counterstrike, and Battlefield franchises, Rising Storm 2: Vietnam is a breath of fresh, albeit hot and muggy air. Tripwire Interactive has yet again produced a stunning game that is surprisingly tactical in its gameplay mechanics, and brutal in its tone.

A new way of looking at things, quite literally, and one that chooses bright joyfulness as its medium and lives up to it through its play. It's absolutely worth the time and the money, and if you find it frustrating, I encourage you to give it another few hours. Just about anyone who does will be charmed by the supersaturated, gloriously isometric, high octane, quirkily funny cyberpunk blowout that is Tokyo 42.

Black The Fall has the makings of a deep and emotional retelling of life under a totalitarian communist regime. The literally dark, oppressive, and intimidating imagery combines with the music, sound effects, and mechanics to narrate scenes without using a single word, and that alone has to be respected.

The Falling Nights is clearly a passionate undertaking; taking four years of development to make. This feels like an incredibly ambitious title for a studio that is just starting to find its bearings. Delusion Arts Entertainment shot for the moon, but they'll have to settle for landing amongst the not-so-bright stars of inconsistent design choices, cheap scares, and overall graphical muddiness.

Magic, deep combat and multiplayer arenas = good gaming. Mirage deserves to be that Cinderella story in multiplayer mode with unique aesthetics and hardcore combat. It’s pretty, it’s deep as any other FPS or multiplayer brawler out there, and it has clearly been designed by skilled people with love for complex games and the ability to make them fun.

RiME is a wonderful experience filled with both light-hearted excitement and touching emotional moments. It invokes the old cliché, “I laughed, I cried,” but, of course, that doesn’t do justice to the amount of effort it took to coordinate the vivid yet dreamlike artwork, the fun and easygoing gameplay, and the dramatic musical score. It’s unfortunate that the graphics can be choppy and the movement can be finicky. Otherwise — especially if you value aesthetics over fun — this is an incredibly satisfying title.

Starpoint Gemini Warlords is a fine title with the occasional rough edge. Solid gameplay, with smooth controls, is hampered by a frustrating camera, but an interesting mix of single-ship combat and 4X civilization management, and great graphics, seal the deal.

Faeria's gameplay shines, and what it lacks in narrative it more than makes up for in strategy. While Faeria won’t appeal to some casual players and viewers, players who enjoy delving into sophisticated and nuanced gameplay will be amply rewarded.

When out in the snowy wasteland, the mood is tense and attention-grabbing. Graphics are beautiful in their simplicity, and although muted because of the depth of darkness contrasting against the never-ending snow, the little smatterings of color pop. Despite its current issues, Impact Winter was crafted lovingly, and the aesthetics and music alone are more than enough reasons to play.

Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada is superb and easily drags you into the gameplay, with the ability to train multiple characters and play as them, along with the replayability of the stages. Spirit of Sanada comes highly recommended to fans of the Dynasty Warriors series, or fans of hack-and-slashers, RPGs, or strategy titles, especially ones with a historical theme.

The price point of the Farming Simulator: Big Bud DLC is pretty high for the content that it includes. While the models are fantastic and a cut above mods of the same machines in earlier installments of the franchise, the pack will not convert the average gamer away from their favorite FPS title and into tractor seat. However, if you are a solo farmer looking to tackle bigger maps and larger field sizes, but don’t have a community of players with which to work your fields, then this pack may be right up your alley.

Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days by Big Star Games is a third-person top-down shooter with few connections to Quentin Tarantino’s film other than it being about gangsters with color-coded names; and yet Bloody Days partially succeeds in its aspiration to revive a classic for crime and gangster films, while offering a time-rewind mechanics that helps the game distinct itself from the pool of titles in the top-down shooter category.

The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker delivers a fresh, memorable, and intricately woven tale of psychological horror. The developer's experience in crafting murder mysteries shows, although investigation of the titular Doctor Dekker's death overwhelms the simulation's promised psychotherapy aspect. Smart, provocative, and a masterclass in acting, this full motion video release falters in its user interface, but the narrative compels you to power through all the same.

Between the graphics and exploring this abandoned world and piecing together what happened, Empathy: Path of Whispers is incredible and highly recommend, even if you might not usually play an exploration-driven title.